Planning permission has been officially granted for a new commuter railway station at Kilbarry in Blackpool, Cork. The infrastructure project forms part of Irish Rail's broader Cork Area Commuter Rail (CACR) programme, a major investment initiative valued at over €1 billion designed to expand regional rail services between Mallow, Midleton, and Cobh.

The development will feature two 120-metre platforms on either side of the existing Cork–Mallow rail line, connected by a covered footbridge equipped with stairs and universal-access lifts. A second fully accessible entrance will connect to Redforge Road via a 21-metre lift shaft. Additional elements of the scheme include an 83-space park-and-ride facility, 59 bicycle parking spaces, road improvements at the Dublin Hill Road Middle junction, and a relocated bus stop to facilitate local transit connections.

Construction on the Blackpool station is expected to begin in 2027 and is estimated to take up to two years to complete. The site was prioritized for accelerated development because it sits on land already owned by Iarnród Éireann, allowing planning and design works to progress ahead of larger network electrification projects.

The approval marks a second effort to establish a commuter rail stop in Kilbarry. Planning permission was previously granted for a station at the site in 2008, but that permission lapsed in 2018 without construction taking place. A separate planning application for another new station at Dunkettle remains under consideration, while six additional stations are proposed for future phases of the Cork regional rail expansion.